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The crisis ignited by COVID-19 has transformed the volume and composition of waste generation and requires a dynamic response from policy makers. This study selected Bangkok as a case study to semi-quantitatively examine the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on consumer-generated food and plastic waste by examining changes in lifestyles and consumption behaviour through a face-to-face questionnaire survey. Travel bans and diminished economic activity due to COVID-19 have led to a dramatic reduction in waste from the business sector and in the total amount of municipal waste generated. However, the results of the survey showed that both food and plastic waste generated by households in Bangkok increased during COVID-19. The shift from eating out to online food delivery services led to an increase in plastic bags, hot-and-cold food bags, plastic food containers, and food waste. Reasons for the increase in household food waste during COVID-19 varied, with respondents citing excessive amounts of food and unappetising taste, followed by exceeding the expiration date and rotting/foul odours. These reasons may be the result of the inability to predict quantity and quality when ordering online, and inadequate food planning and management by consumers. To achieve more effective food and plastic waste management, home delivery services, consumer food planning and management, and the formation of a circular economy based on localised supply chains may be considered as important intervention points.
Chen Liu; Pongsun Bunditsakulchai; Qiannan Zhuo. Impact of COVID-19 on Food and Plastic Waste Generated by Consumers in Bangkok. Sustainability 2021, 13, 8988 .
AMA StyleChen Liu, Pongsun Bunditsakulchai, Qiannan Zhuo. Impact of COVID-19 on Food and Plastic Waste Generated by Consumers in Bangkok. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (16):8988.
Chicago/Turabian StyleChen Liu; Pongsun Bunditsakulchai; Qiannan Zhuo. 2021. "Impact of COVID-19 on Food and Plastic Waste Generated by Consumers in Bangkok." Sustainability 13, no. 16: 8988.
Urban food waste issues in developing economies have recently attracted the attention of policymakers, practitioners, and academics in the course of implementing the Paris Agreement and the SDGs. In our case study city of Bangkok, Thailand, household food waste generation doubled from 2003 to 2018, with a similar increase in per capita amounts. Using an extensive literature review, statistical models, and a questionnaire survey, the authors clarified factors influencing food waste generation and separation before disposal, and reuse/recycling activity in urban households. Results showed that pre-purchase checks can not only prevent food waste but can also increase the reuse/recycling of food waste. Citizens with higher levels of education and those showing more concern about social issues and global warming are more likely to separate food waste before disposal and to participate in reuse/recycling activities. Finally, this paper proposes a seven-stage action-based model of integrated strategies for improving household food and food waste management to prevent/reduce food waste generation as well as remedy existing policy gaps in Bangkok.
Pongsun Bunditsakulchai; Chen Liu. Integrated Strategies for Household Food Waste Reduction in Bangkok. Sustainability 2021, 13, 7651 .
AMA StylePongsun Bunditsakulchai, Chen Liu. Integrated Strategies for Household Food Waste Reduction in Bangkok. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (14):7651.
Chicago/Turabian StylePongsun Bunditsakulchai; Chen Liu. 2021. "Integrated Strategies for Household Food Waste Reduction in Bangkok." Sustainability 13, no. 14: 7651.
Food waste has become a critical issue in modern society, especially in the urbanized and fast-growing cities of Asia. The increase in food waste has serious negative impacts on environmental sustainability, water and land resources, and food security, as well as climate and greenhouse gas emissions. Through a specific case study in Da Nang City, Vietnam, this paper examines the extent of food waste generation at the consumption stages, the eating habits of consumers, food waste from households and service establishments, as well as prospects for the reuse of food waste as pig feed. The results of this study indicate that per capita food waste generation in Da Nang has increased from 0.39 to 0.41kg in 2016, 0.46 in 2017, and reached 0.52kg in 2018. According to the results of our consumer survey, 20% of respondents stated that they often generate food waste, 67% stated they sometimes do, and 13% stated they rarely do. Furthermore, 66% of surveyed households stated that their food waste is collected and transported by pig farmers to be used as feed for pigs. The use of food waste as feed for pigs is a typical feature in Da Nang. The study also found that there is a high level of consumer awareness and willingness to participate in the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) program, which was being initiated by the city government. In service facilities such as resorts and hotels, daily food waste reached 100–200 kg in large facilities and 20–120 kg in small facilities. This waste was also collected for use in pig farming. However, there has been a fall in demand for pig feed in line with a decrease in the number of pig farms due to the African swine fever epidemic that occurred during the implementation of this study. This paper suggests that there is a strong need to take both consumer-oriented waste prevention and waste management measures, such as waste segregation at source and introduction of effective food waste recycling techniques, to ensure that food waste can be safely and sustainably used as a “valuable resource” rather than “wasted.”
Ngoc-Bao Pham; Thu-Nga Do; Van-Quang Tran; Anh-Duc Trinh; Chen Liu; Caixia Mao. Food Waste in Da Nang City of Vietnam: Trends, Challenges, and Perspectives toward Sustainable Resource Use. Sustainability 2021, 13, 7368 .
AMA StyleNgoc-Bao Pham, Thu-Nga Do, Van-Quang Tran, Anh-Duc Trinh, Chen Liu, Caixia Mao. Food Waste in Da Nang City of Vietnam: Trends, Challenges, and Perspectives toward Sustainable Resource Use. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (13):7368.
Chicago/Turabian StyleNgoc-Bao Pham; Thu-Nga Do; Van-Quang Tran; Anh-Duc Trinh; Chen Liu; Caixia Mao. 2021. "Food Waste in Da Nang City of Vietnam: Trends, Challenges, and Perspectives toward Sustainable Resource Use." Sustainability 13, no. 13: 7368.
Marine plastic litter, mostly comprising single-use plastics, has been recognised as one of the world’s most urgent environmental concerns, and Vietnam has been ranked as one of the top five countries polluting the ocean with plastic waste. This paper examines Hanoi as a case study on single-use plastic by households, investigating the daily generation of single-use plastic waste through a survey, assessing existing policy gaps through a policy review, and providing recommendations on improving management along the supply chain in Vietnam. At almost 27 times a week on average, plastic shopping bags were found to be the most prevalent single-use plastic used by households, followed by wrap/film, straws, coffee cups with plastic lids, cutlery, takeout containers, food packaging, party cups, bottles for water and beverages, and other items. Plastic shopping bags and food packaging are used more often in rural areas than in urban areas. These bags also have a high rate (68.65%) of temporary reuse as kitchen bin liners, a habit that may be difficult to change over the short term. Apart from some components of plastic bottles and packaging that are sold for recycling, most single-use plastic waste is disposed in landfills. Policies are in place to address plastic issues, such as a tax on plastic bags and source separation, but implementation is inconsistent. A behaviour-based combination of top-town and bottom-up approaches along the entire supply chain is recommended to improve existing policy gaps in Vietnam.
Chen Liu; Trung Thang Nguyen; Yujiro Ishimura. Current situation and key challenges on the use of single-use plastic in Hanoi. Waste Management 2021, 121, 422 -431.
AMA StyleChen Liu, Trung Thang Nguyen, Yujiro Ishimura. Current situation and key challenges on the use of single-use plastic in Hanoi. Waste Management. 2021; 121 ():422-431.
Chicago/Turabian StyleChen Liu; Trung Thang Nguyen; Yujiro Ishimura. 2021. "Current situation and key challenges on the use of single-use plastic in Hanoi." Waste Management 121, no. : 422-431.
The issue of food waste, especially in developing economies, is a puzzle. Hanoi was selected as a case study to examine the current situation of food waste generated by consumers through daily habits/practices and to evaluate options for preventing and reducing food waste at the policy level through a literature/policy review and interview-style survey. An analysis of responses found that the self-reported food waste generation rate in Hanoi averaged 1192 g/day/household in urban areas and 1694 g/day/household in rural areas; cooking waste generated during meal processing/preparation accounts for more than 70% of the total; less than 20% of respondents separated out kitchen waste for reuse/recycling before disposal; expiration dates and deteriorating quality were cited as primary reasons for food waste at home in contrast with larger portions and over-ordering outside the home; leftover food is used indirectly as animal feed in urban areas and directly in rural areas; and most respondents indicate a willingness to reduce, reuse, and recycle food waste. To achieve SDG target 12.3, policymakers and practitioners must develop comprehensive food waste policies and actions targeting the entire supply chain, implement practical food waste management systems, and promote sufficiency strategies for saving food, reducing food waste, and maintaining health and well-being.
Chen Liu; Trung Thang Nguyen. Evaluation of Household Food Waste Generation in Hanoi and Policy Implications towards SDGs Target 12.3. Sustainability 2020, 12, 6565 .
AMA StyleChen Liu, Trung Thang Nguyen. Evaluation of Household Food Waste Generation in Hanoi and Policy Implications towards SDGs Target 12.3. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (16):6565.
Chicago/Turabian StyleChen Liu; Trung Thang Nguyen. 2020. "Evaluation of Household Food Waste Generation in Hanoi and Policy Implications towards SDGs Target 12.3." Sustainability 12, no. 16: 6565.
In the course of implementing the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, policymakers, practitioners and academics have increasingly acknowledged the urgency of addressing the food waste (FW) issue in urban areas of developing economies. This paper selected Bangkok as a case study to evaluate options for preventing and reducing FW. The current situation and tendency of FW generation was clarified based on official published data, and ways in which FW is generated by consumers were examined via a questionnaire survey, followed by a review of the relevant existing FW policies and strategies, to provide policy implications for tackling the issues raised. It found that detailed stipulations by law remain incomplete, resulting in the increasing trend of FW generation over the past decade, with most FW being mixed with municipal solid waste and landfilled. FW generation doubled from 2,860 tonnes per day in 2003 to 5,669 tonnes per day in Bangkok in 2018. The proportion of FW in MSW was 53% in 2018, a figure that has been rising since 2015. Per capita, FW was estimated to be 0.38–0.61 kg per day in 2018, which is high even when compared to developed cities. Sources of FW are distributed widely through the whole supply chain due to diverse dietary and eating habits, with a high frequency of eating out and consuming ready-made food. This paper offers recommendations for FW policies and innovative actions targeting the entire supply chain to achieve more effective FW management.
Chen Liu; Caixia Mao; Pongsun Bunditsakulchai; So Sasaki; Yasuhiko Hotta. Food waste in Bangkok: Current situation, trends and key challenges. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 2020, 157, 104779 .
AMA StyleChen Liu, Caixia Mao, Pongsun Bunditsakulchai, So Sasaki, Yasuhiko Hotta. Food waste in Bangkok: Current situation, trends and key challenges. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 2020; 157 ():104779.
Chicago/Turabian StyleChen Liu; Caixia Mao; Pongsun Bunditsakulchai; So Sasaki; Yasuhiko Hotta. 2020. "Food waste in Bangkok: Current situation, trends and key challenges." Resources, Conservation and Recycling 157, no. : 104779.
Due to its ability to recover both material and energy from organic waste, biogas technology is considered the best technology for treating organic waste. While in many emerging Asian countries more than 50% of municipal waste is organic waste, the amount of organic waste treated with biogas technology remains very limited. This study identified key challenges faced by practitioners in sustaining biogas plants from literature and interviewed a number of sustainably operating biogas plant managers and, based on the findings, developed an implementation framework to help decision makers and practitioners in planning a sustainable municipal organic waste biogas plant facility.
Andante Hadi Pandyaswargo; Premakumara Jagath Dickella Gamaralalage; Chen Liu; Michael Knaus; Hiroshi Onoda; Faezeh Mahichi; Yanghui Guo. Challenges and An Implementation Framework for Sustainable Municipal Organic Waste Management Using Biogas Technology in Emerging Asian Countries. Sustainability 2019, 11, 6331 .
AMA StyleAndante Hadi Pandyaswargo, Premakumara Jagath Dickella Gamaralalage, Chen Liu, Michael Knaus, Hiroshi Onoda, Faezeh Mahichi, Yanghui Guo. Challenges and An Implementation Framework for Sustainable Municipal Organic Waste Management Using Biogas Technology in Emerging Asian Countries. Sustainability. 2019; 11 (22):6331.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAndante Hadi Pandyaswargo; Premakumara Jagath Dickella Gamaralalage; Chen Liu; Michael Knaus; Hiroshi Onoda; Faezeh Mahichi; Yanghui Guo. 2019. "Challenges and An Implementation Framework for Sustainable Municipal Organic Waste Management Using Biogas Technology in Emerging Asian Countries." Sustainability 11, no. 22: 6331.
The objectives of this study are to diagnose and prevent environmental problems that threaten urban sustainability, the impact of changes in lifestyle (diet, domestic sanitation, and motorization), and production style (agriculture, industry, and services) with the rapid urbanization on regional nitrogen (N) flows, and the water environment was quantitatively evaluated. The megacity Shanghai was chosen as a case study to investigate the temporal changes in nitrogen flow during 1980–2008 by a multidisciplinary approach (a field survey, a regional nitrogen mass balance model, input-output analysis, etc.). Although the total potential nitrogen load in Shanghai has decreased in the 2000s and water pollution problems seem to have improved, the problem has shifted and expanded to affect a wider area through the food/product chain and water/air movement. Further effective solutions that aim at material cycles are necessary and have to be implemented on a large scale.
Chen Liu; Qinxue Wang; Chunjing Zou; Yoshitsugu Hayashi; Tetsuzo Yasunari. Recent trends in nitrogen flows with urbanization in the Shanghai megacity and the effects on the water environment. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 2014, 22, 3431 -3440.
AMA StyleChen Liu, Qinxue Wang, Chunjing Zou, Yoshitsugu Hayashi, Tetsuzo Yasunari. Recent trends in nitrogen flows with urbanization in the Shanghai megacity and the effects on the water environment. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 2014; 22 (5):3431-3440.
Chicago/Turabian StyleChen Liu; Qinxue Wang; Chunjing Zou; Yoshitsugu Hayashi; Tetsuzo Yasunari. 2014. "Recent trends in nitrogen flows with urbanization in the Shanghai megacity and the effects on the water environment." Environmental Science and Pollution Research 22, no. 5: 3431-3440.